Critical care nurses' experiences when technology malfunctions

When caring for critically ill patients, critical care nurses work with technology every day. Technology and equipment malfunctions can have a profound effect on nurses' practice and self-image. In this article, a descriptive phenomenological methodology was chosen to explicate the experience of seven critical care nurses. While participants realized that machines might malfunction, they experienced surprise, shock, and feelings of being "let down" and inadequate when malfunctions occurred. They questioned their competence and felt malfunctioning technology jeopardized their credibility and professional image. These findings are useful when structuring educational sessions on technology and in facilitating a supportive environment for critical care nurses when technology malfunctions.